How to Organize School Papers and Other Mementos

A reader once asked me, “What do you do with all of your children’s mementos? How do you choose what to keep versus what to throw away?”

This reader asked a great question, and my guess is you’ve wondered the same thing! My short answer is this: I get rid of just about everything my kids are done with. My reason? If they don’t use it, we don’t need to keep it.

Now here’s my longer answer: I do keep a few of my kids’ most special items. Beautiful crib bedding that my grandmother purchased? It’s in a tote. First Christmas dress? Saved. Outfits they wore home from the hospital? I’ve kept those too!

When my kids were smaller, we had one tote that held both girls’ special items. Now that they’re a little older (and have grown out of more toys and books they’ve loved for years), they each have their own tote.

This pre-chosen limit forces me to make solid decisions. An item may be cute, or fun, or whatever, but it has to be really special in order to make it into the totes.

That way my kids will have a few special things they can share with their own children one day, but they won’t be burdened with boxes and boxes full of stuff to go through.

I’m a firm believer that the less stuff we have, the more special each item becomes. Plus, by passing along outgrown items, others can be blessed with things we’re finished with.

But, sometimes, we can’t really pass the item along – for instance, not very many people are wishing for someone else’s school papers to sort through! Whether your kids are homeschooled, enrolled in public or private school, attend day care, or just scribble in a notebook, there is likely a plethora of paper in your home.

I’m going to offer a few specific solutions for organizing and purging those papers, and you can choose the method that seems best or easiest for you to accomplish.

How to Organize School Papers

1) Have a three-ring binder for each child. You can fill it with sheet protectors and just slip their special papers into the sheet protectors.

2) Utilize the binder method I just mentioned, except hole-punch the papers instead of using sheet protectors.

3) Keep a file in your file-cabinet for each child.

4) Save an unused pizza box for each child every year. You can place art projects, pen-pal letters, etc., into the box. Then simply label the pizza boxes with their names and the year and stack those boxes in the top of a closet.

5) Use a three-ring binder throughout the year for each of your kids, then at the end of the year, let them choose one or two special papers and toss everything else. This way, their work is honored as it’s being completed, but your family is also able to start fresh every year.

6) Or do what I did one year when I was very busy and a little desperate: Instead of sorting our papers as we went along that school year, we had huge piles of school and Bible class papers that had piled up all year.

One child held open a trash bag and I dumped everything in. It was such a relief to have that weight lifted and hours and hours of time saved!

Remember that your system doesn’t have to be beautiful or perfect – if just needs to work well for your family.

While you’re sorting through school papers and other childhood mementos, do keep in mind that you can’t take anything with you when you die. You likely also don’t want to burden your children with having to go through boxes and boxes and boxes of things after you’re gone.

“For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.” 1 Timothy 6:7, NASB

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21, NASB

{Our binder system – each girl has 2 for elementary school, and my oldest has a middle school binder as well.}

If you’re emotionally having a difficult time letting go of your child’s things, read this article for more help.

Personal Thought/Application Question: How do you sort through your child’s school papers and childhood mementos?

Davonne Parks believes that your role at home is valuable and she wants to help you thrive in your environment. Click here to receive immediate access to the FREE printable library she created just for you.

Comments

My daughter is now 11. When she was younger and bringing home all the ‘cute colored pictures’, I kept them all until I realized what a mess I had. I finally took to scanning the ones I had kept into my computer into a folder that is labeled with her name. I saw this on a site a few years ago and they suggested using those pictures as the screen saver that scrolls. I have another box I have to go through soon to organize what I’ve accumulated since the first scan.

We do this too. I either scan all those special projects from school or church or take pictures of them and then toss them after an appropriate amount of time (after the holiday or a few weeks on our art clothesline). Then I put images of a few special ones in their scrapbooks and the rest are digital. So much easier. It’s also helping my pack-rat 8yo let go too. If she knows she can see it later, she has a much easier time throwing old papers away.

I totally agree with you, choosing what to keep and what to part with is tough. I’m trying to do that now with photos as I have 3 apple boxes of photos plus a dozen albums to go through! One more option that can free up “tote” space would be to scan those report cards, papers and artwork then store them in a digital archive online. That way they are easily accessible and there’s no risk of loss if something happens to the original (think fire, flood, tornado or even mice ewww).

Plus I have access while allowing my kids immediate access so I’m not parting with my memories prematurely. My kids are all grown so they aren’t often in my house to go through their boxes plus I don’t think they are really interested yet. But as the hubs and I gear up for retirement and possible downsizing, I really have to lessen our memory stores. Even more so since there are 7 kids between us!

Being a homeschooling Mama with millions of worksheets and a photographer, I decided to take digital images of special artwork, drawings and projects and have them printed in a photobook marked by grade. Kindergarten, 1st Grade, etc. Then, instead of throwing out the real drawings, we use them as cards to send to Grandparents, pen pals and friends, our own little version of recycling.

Thanks for your great tips! I love how the binder system allows you to see the artwork more clearly as you go through it… instead of dragging it all out of a file. I am putting together a roundup of my favourite ideas for organizing children’s school work and this is definitely one of them!

Trackbacks

[…] Even if you’re organizing a storage closet that isn’t for holidays, keep in mind that if an item has been buried under clutter for two years and you haven’t needed it yet, you probably won’t ever need it. Put it in a bag for donations and let someone else have it. Don’t over think this part – work fast and just keep moving. (If you need tips on knowing which of your children’s mementos to keep and which to toss, read this article.) […]

[…] If you just can’t bear to part with most of their work (at least, not yet), consider this idea from Davonne Parks. She keeps binders for each school year, with divider tabs for different subjects. There are also a […]

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